Spreading Wings

Chinese legend The Butterfly Lovers is made new by the Hong Kong Ballet in a bold new production this month that blends Chinese dance and ballet

By Zabrina Lo

The Hong Kong Ballet (HKBallet) has in recent years forged a reputation for presenting classical productions with an Asian twist: The Nutcracker (2021-23) was set in early 20th-century Hong Kong and featured the historic Kom Tong Hall and characters dressed as items of dim sum; Romeo + Juliet (2021) was reimagined in 1960s Hong Kong, with dancers clad in qipao. The company also releases short films, educational campaigns and pop-up performances in which dancers treat landmarks such as the Star Ferry, University of Hong Kong campus and Tai Kwun as a stage. In the new season, which starts this month, the company’s artistic director Septime Webre is taking things to the next level. He invited HKBallet’s choreographer-in-residence Ricky Hu Song-wei and his wife Jingwen Mai, also a choreographer, to create…

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Tatler Hong Kong (Digital) - 1 Issue, September 2024

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